Obama: ‘This Is Not Entertainment, This Is Not a Reality Show’

President Obama called a press conference on May 6 to tout the rising job numbers, but also to take questions and weigh in on the newly-minted presumptive nominee of the Republican party Donald Trump.

“I think I just want to emphasize the degree to which we are in serious times and this is a really serious job. This is not entertainment, this is not a reality show. This is a contest for the presidency of the United States,” Obama said, referencing Trump’s past as host of “The Apprentice.”

The president also emphasized a need to properly vet all the candidates saying that Trump has a “long record that needs to be examined” and called on reporters in the media to properly vet candidates.

Obama continued, warning of dangers that come with focusing on the “spectacle and circus.”

He continued, saying that Republican officials and voters—particularly Republican women—need to decide: “is that the guy who I feel comfortable with in representing me and what I care about?”

Obama’s line of answers in this press conference foreshadows the rhetorical criticism of the presumptive Republican nominee from the president over the next six months: what are Trump’s credentials, what’s behind the media spectacle, and is Trump a representation of the American voter?

“I’ll leave it up to the Republicans to see how they ‘square their circle.'”

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